The exhaust gas emitted from an internal combustion engine, particularly a diesel engine, is a heterogeneous mixture that contains gaseous emissions such as, but not limited to, carbon monoxide (“CO”), unburned hydrocarbons (“HC”) and oxides of nitrogen (“NOx”) as well as condensed phase materials (liquids and solids) that constitute particulate matter (“PM”). Catalyst compositions, typically disposed on catalyst supports or substrates, are provided in an engine exhaust system to convert certain, or all of these exhaust constituents into non-regulated exhaust gas components.
One type of exhaust treatment technology for reducing CO and HC emissions is an oxidation catalyst device (“OC”). The OC device includes a flow-through substrate and a catalyst compound applied to the substrate. One type of exhaust treatment technology for reducing NOx emissions is a selective catalytic reduction (“SCR”) device that may be positioned downstream of the OC device. The SCR device includes a substrate, having a SCR catalyst compound applied to the substrate.
During operation of the engine, the components of the aftertreatment system are exposed to sulfur from the fuel as well as the engine oil that are consumed by the engine. The sulfur will accumulate on a catalyst wash coat of the OC device as well as a catalyst wash coat of the SCR device. The sulfur is released from the catalysts of the OC device and the SCR device at relatively high temperatures (e.g., typically about 500° C. or greater). Specifically, a desulfurization cycle or mode may be initiated by an engine control module once the amount of adsorbed sulfur reaches a specific threshold value. However, the sulfur may still accumulate on the OC device and the SCR device. Over time as the sulfur accumulates, this affects the performance of the SCR catalyst as well as the OC catalyst. However, it should be noted that this performance degradation may be reversed during the desulfurization cycle, where the sulfur is released from the OC device and the SCR device. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an approach for determining the amount of sulfur that is stored on various exhaust gas aftertreatment devices.